1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated sheet having at least one co-terminal, V-fold tab which facilitates application of the sheet to a receptor surface. The invention extends to a tape pad comprised of a plurality of such sheets with each sheet having a V-fold tab adhered thereto.
2. Background Art
The art is replete with descriptions of tape pads comprising a plurality of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated sheets adhered to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,030,135 discloses adhesive units for the purpose of securing signs, pictures or displays onto walls, posts, sign boards and other supportive structures. Each adhesive unit has an adhesive-free edge to afford easier separation of the units.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,528,602 discloses a cleaning pad comprising sheets coated with an adhesive on one side such that the sheet may be used to remove lint, dust, hair and other objects from wearing apparel. Each cleaning sheet in the pad has a protective strip located along a side portion in order to facilitate the peeling of the cleaning sheet from the pad. The strip may be any suitable material that does not adhere to the pad (e.g., cellophane).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,152 discloses an adhesive tape package which is a stack of sheets with pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on one side and a non-tacky water soluble adhesive on the other side. The adhesive package may be preformed as mounting devices for mounting photos and may also be packaged in stacks and rolls for other uses. Every other sheet in the stack has a cutaway corner to facilitate the removal of one sheet from the next in the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,724,847 discloses a lint removing device comprising a pad of adhesive sheets wherein the individual sheets are pressed against a garment to remove lint. Each sheet has a strip on one edge to separate one edge of the sheet from the edge of the sheet located therebelow such that each sheet may be easily peeled from the pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,393 discloses a stack of adhesive sheets wherein each sheet is placed in a frame and thereafter used to clean the soles of shoes. A small, thin triangle of non-tacky material such as aluminum foil or cellophane is attached to a corner of each sheet in order to facilitate the separation of the sheets. Another method disclosed to facilitate separating each sheet is to leave the sheet corners adhesive-free.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,543 discloses a stack of sheets, with adhesive on both surfaces, to be used as a door mat to remove dirt particles from shoe soles. A pull tab is located on one corner of each sheet to facilitate the stripping and separation of one sheet from the remainder of the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,102 discloses a stack of sheets with adhesive on both sides with each sheet to be used as a mat to remove dust and dirt from shoe soles. A corner area or portion of the upper surface of each sheet is free from adhesive for the purpose of separating one sheet from the rest of the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,811 discloses a stack of peelable sheets with a layer of adhesive on the upper surface of each sheet. The stack is to be placed at the entrance of a room for the purpose of removing dirt and dust from the soles of shoes. A corner of each sheet is rendered non-tacky with a thin coating of non-adhesive material to facilitate the peeling of each sheet from the stack. The non-adhesive coating may be colored to indicate to the user which corner is to be peeled first.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,706 discloses a tabbed tape pad in which regressive, folded tabs provide a convenient handle and help distribute the forces applied during sheet separation. The tabs adhered to the pressure-sensitive adhesive side of the tape strip become increasingly shorter on each successive sheet from the top tape strip to the bottom tape strip of the pad. The free end of each tab is folded back upon itself to provide a removable tab end which is free from adhesive. This tab covered end affords facile removal of the tab during application of the full length of the tape strip to a receptor surface.
The tape pads described in these patents all include a means for facilitating manual separation of the sheets from the rest of the pad, such as an end portion of each sheet that is not coated with adhesive, or a portion having an overcoating or liner covering the adhesive enabling that portion of the sheet to be easily engaged with the fingers.
The presence of such uncoated, overcoated or linered portions described in the aforementioned patents usually presents no significant problems for the intended uses of the sheets (e.g., the removal of lint or debris). For other intended uses of such sheets, however, such as where the sheets are to be applied onto or over surfaces, the presence of such uncoated, overcoated or linered portions of the sheets can be undesirable as the entire sheet is prevented from being securely adhered to the surface. In the case of the sheets with linered parts, it is frequently difficult to separate the liner edge from the sheet so that the liner can be grasped for removal. Peeling away of the liners must be done as a separate step prior to application of the sheets to receptor surfaces, and liner removal frequently results in contacting the adhesive coating with one's fingers which contaminates the adhesive and inhibits its ability to adhere to a surface.